Around this time last year, I was preparing for a visit to India. Although the prime focus of the trip was my brother’s grand wedding, it was also fantastic in a delicious way. Last week, on a lazy day, I was looking through the pictures, and I came upon the delicious seafood lunch we had during one of our shopping adventures.
When I’m in Kerala, I always prefer seafood for a good reason. Kerala is well-known for its fish and other seafood produce. I think it’s the best place to dine on freshest seafood cooked in the traditional style.
All those pictures and nostalgic reflections of my homeland directed my thoughts to the fresh prawns we bought the day before. I decided to make prawn curry in a coconut based sauce (prawn theeyal) with a traditional touch.
This prawns and drumstick curry is very easy to prepare, and tastes delicious with rice or flatbread.
Prawns Drumstick Curry | Chemmeen Muringakka Theeyal
Ingredients
- 500 g prawns deveined and cleaned
- 2-3 drumsticks cut into 4cm pieces
- ½ cup sliced onions
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 3-4 green chillies slit in halves
- A lemon sized ball of tamarind soaked in ½ cup water
- 1 cup grated coconut
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- A pinch of asafoetida
- 3-4 curry leaves
- Salt
- Water
- Tempered Spices:
- 3 shallots finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 3 dried red chillies broken into small pieces
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Splutter fennel seeds. Reduce heat to low. Add grated coconut, and fry, stirring continuously, until it starts to change color. Add 3-4 curry leaves, 1 tablespoon ginger paste, 1 tablespoon garlic paste, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ground coriander, garam masala, ground black pepper, and chilli powder. Fry, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.Once cooled, grind it into a smooth paste. Add a little amount of water, if necessary.
- Meanwhile, place prawns, drumsticks, onions, green chillies, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, tamarind water (discard the hard bits) and salt in another pan. Add enough water to cook prawns, and place it over medium-high heat. When cooked, add tomatoes, and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Add the ground paste, and mix well. If the sauce is very thick, add more water. Sprinkle asafoetida on top. Simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- For tempering, heat oil in a pan over low heat. Splutter mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Add dried red chillies, shallots, and curry leaves. Saute, stirring occasionally, for a minute. Remove from flame, and add it to the prawn curry. Stir well. Serve warm with rice or roti.
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